🌊 Put(in) It In Reverse, Terry!

Nixon’s worst move ever… plus a Roca giveaway.

Today is a day that lives in infamy for Dodge Charger drivers: 52 years ago, the country instituted a 55 MPH national speed limit as an energy-saving measure. It was particularly cruel that Nixon signed it into law in 1973 because it’s the same year that “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd came out. Imagine having to drive 55 MPH while listening to that guitar solo. How did our Founding Fathers let this happen?

On a separate note, in honor of Thanksgiving, we’re running a special Roca question + giveaway: We’d like to hear from you someone who you are thankful for. We’ll then pick a few of your submissions and give those people a year of free Roca Premium!

So who are you thankful for? Why? Let us know by replying here!

–Max and Max

KEY STORY

US Revises Ukraine Proposal

US lawmakers walked back a controversial Ukraine peace plan, contradicting the administration and claiming that it wasn't the real offer

• Last week, a US-backed peace plan was leaked that was highly favorable to Russia, with requirements for Ukraine to limit the size of its military and surrender territory that it currently controls

• The plan sparked alarm among Ukraine’s supporters, though, and on Monday, Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said that Secretary of State Rubio explained that the US did not back the plan, but was merely passing along a list of Russian demands

• After Rounds’ statement, though, Rubio posted on social media that the peace proposal was actually authored by the US, prompting confusion as to what is actually happening

Dig Deeper 

• US and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva on Sunday to revise the proposal. A Ukrainian official said the talks were intense and nearly fell apart before they started, but ultimately proved productive. A new proposal reduced the document from 28 points to 19 points and left the most sensitive topics, including territorial questions, for Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky to decide directly on a later date

• European leaders held a summit and issued a statement calling for additional work on the plan. They expressed concern about proposed limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, saying it would leave Ukraine vulnerable to any future attacks. Trump also said that the proposal was not his final offer and that Zelensky could “continue to fight his little heart out” if he refused to sign

KEY STORY

X Launches New Location Feature

An uproar erupted on X after a new feature showed users’ locations and exposed many accounts as not being in the countries where they claimed to be

• On Saturday, X launched a feature showing the country or region where an account is based. Users can find this information by clicking on an account's join date, which opens an "About this account" page

• The feature exposed some widely-followed US political accounts as not being based in the US, while wrongly identifying other accounts’ locations. The feature noted that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) account was based in Israel, which both DHS and X’s head of product denied

• X partially rolled back the feature but said it would upgrade it and make it 99.99% accurate

Dig Deeper 

• Some users criticized the feature as forced doxxing, particularly for people in countries that limit freedom of speech and where they could face political repercussions for their posts. X’s product head responded that users in such countries could choose to show only their region rather than their specific country

• Supporters said the feature would help identify foreign influence operations and disinformation campaigns

• For more on this topic, check out Max T’s recent deep-dive on how bots have been continually undermining American unity

KEY STORY

FBI: Trump Shooter Acted Alone

The FBI concluded that Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone when he attempted to assassinate President Trump in Butler, PA in July 2024

• FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the FBI concluded that Crooks acted alone, after 485 FBI employees worked the case, conducting more than 1,000 interviews globally and reviewing 2,000 tips

• The FBI found no evidence of foreign involvement or that anyone else directed, inspired, or assisted Crooks. Investigators dismissed theories about a second shooter and confirmed that all rounds fired at the rally were accounted for

Dig Deeper 

• Crooks left no manifesto or clear indication of why he carried out the attack, though investigators found posts from 2019 and 2020 in which he advocated for political violence

• On July 6, 2024, Crooks registered to attend the rally and searched online for information about the Kennedy assassination, weather conditions in Butler, and directions to the nearest hospital

ROCA MEMBERSHIP
Get All-Access Roca for 50% Off!

This week is the first-ever Roca Black Friday sale!

• Are you tired of seeing paywalled articles? Do you wish you could read all the deep-dives that hit your inbox, but don’t want to shell out the cash for a membership? Do you want to support your favorite non-partisan news outlet?

• Set your worries aside, because this week you can get all-access Roca for 50% off!

• Become a Roca Platinum member and you’ll get access to all of Roca: WeThe66, our deep-dive newsletter; the RocaNews App; and our extended need-to-know stories. You can do it this week for half price – and guarantee yourself accurate news at a low price for the next year

• Lock in a year’s worth of non-partisan news for 50% off today, at the Roca Black Friday sale

QUOTE OF THE DAY

KEY STORY

Judge Dismisses Comey, James Cases

A federal judge dismissed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James

• Trump has publicly called for the prosecution of Comey and James for years. Upon taking office in January, he urged the Justice Department to charge both. When the initial prosecutor concluded there wasn't sufficient evidence to do so, Trump removed him and pushed AG Pam Bondi to install his former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, who then secured indictments against both within days

• On Monday, a judge ruled that Bondi had no authority to appoint Halligan as interim US attorney and dismissed the charges against both Comey and James

Dig Deeper 

• Under federal law, the AG can make temporary appointments for 120 days, after which district court judges must select a replacement if the Senate hasn't confirmed a nominee. The judge determined that Bondi's attempt to bypass this process by installing Halligan was unlawful, making all of Halligan's actions invalid

• The judge dismissed both indictments without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could potentially refile charges under a properly appointed prosecutor. However, Comey's attorneys argued that the statute of limitations in his case expired shortly after his initial September indictment, meaning the government has run out of time to charge him again

WE THE 66
Lessons from the South

Last week, Roca co-founder Max Frost returned from a reporting trip to Arkansas and Mississippi

• While down there, he met with both the leader of a “whites only” community, and half a dozen Roca readers

• What emerged was a fundamental lesson about journalism and bias, which is the subject of today’s FREE WeThe66 deep dive

• Also, this week is our Black Friday sale: You can get a Roca all-access membership for 50% off, supporting your favorite non-partisan news company and locking in a year of Roca at the lowest ever price!

RUNDOWN
Some Quick Stories for the Office

📼 The Pentagon announced it is investigating Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for possible violations of military law after he appeared in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders.

🏛️ The Department of Government Efficiency has been disbanded with eight months remaining in its mandate, the Office of Personnel Management Director told Reuters.

🗡️ Morgan Geyser, convicted in the 2014 "Slender Man stabbing," was captured in Illinois after fleeing a Wisconsin group home where she was under supervised release.

🇹🇼 Xi Jinping initiated a phone call with President Trump on Monday to discuss Taiwan, marking a rare diplomatic outreach from China amid rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the island.

🌋 The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia's Afar Region erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending smoke plumes up to 9 miles into the sky.

What does Roca Nation think?

🍁 Today’s Question: Who is someone you are thankful for this year?

Reply to this email with your response!

POPCORN
Some Quick Stories for Happy Hour

🪙 Billions Below: Colombia has recovered the first artifacts from the San José, an 18th-century Spanish galleon known as the "holy grail of shipwrecks" for its estimated $20B cargo of 11M gold and silver coins.

🤼 Eastern Promise: Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn has become the first competitor from his country to win an elite-level tournament in Japan, defeating a top-ranked Mongolian wrestler.

⚰️ Knock on Wood: A 65-year-old woman in Thailand shocked temple staff when she started moving and knocking inside her coffin as her brother brought her to a Buddhist temple for cremation.

🥀 The Hunt for Red Blossom: A flower hunter found the ultra-rare Rafflesia hasseltii in Sumatra, Indonesia, ending a 13-year search for the giant parasitic bloom that's been "seen more by tigers than people."

⚓ Perfectly Preserved: A Canadian dive team discovered a completely intact shipwreck in Lake Ontario with both masts still standing, likely dating back to the early 1800s based on its rope rigging and lack of modern features.

ROCA WRAP
The Blood Countess

Elizabeth Báthory

This Hungarian countess stood trial for the torture and murder of hundreds of young women.

Born into Hungarian nobility in 1560, Elizabeth Báthory inherited vast land holdings across the Kingdom of Hungary, including estates in what is now Slovakia. She married Count Ferenc Nádasdy in 1575, combining their significant properties. When her husband died in 1604 after leading Hungarian troops against the Ottoman Empire, Báthory became the sole manager of multiple castles and seventeen villages, with her primary residence at the Castle of Csejte in present-day Slovakia.

Báthory received an exceptional education for a woman of her era, learning Latin, German, Hungarian, and Greek as a Calvinist Protestant. For years, she tortured and killed peasant girls whose disappearances went uninvestigated, as abuse of the lower classes by nobles was frowned upon but not legally prohibited. Her methods included severe beatings and numerous forms of torture that are too unpleasant to describe here. Eventually, though, she began killing daughters of the lesser gentry who were sent to her castle to learn from the prominent countess, sparking formal complaints.

Between 1602 and 1604, a Lutheran minister made public accusations against Báthory, and by 1610, King Matthias II ordered György Thurzó to investigate. His notaries collected over 300 witness statements by 1611. One castle warden testified that his niece had been crying and freezing when he intercepted Báthory's entourage. When he begged Báthory not to take the girl, she replied she would kill her instead. The niece never returned.

On New Year's Eve 1610, Thurzó arrived at Csejte Castle and arrested Báthory along with four servants. Two trials followed in January 1611. Her servants confessed under torture and were executed. The highest victim count mentioned was 650, with the castellan at one castle testifying to at least 175 deaths there alone.

Stories claiming Báthory bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve her youth emerged over a century after her death. These tales became part of national folklore and inspired her nicknames "Blood Countess" and "Countess Dracula," though historians consider them unreliable embellishments. No witness testimony from the actual trials mentioned blood bathing. The legends persist nonetheless, overshadowing the documented horrors that were real enough.

Báthory herself was never formally tried. Her family sought to avoid losing her property to the crown, so she was confined to a castle for the rest of her life. On August 20, 1614, she complained to her bodyguard that her hands were cold. He told her to lie down, and she died in her sleep that night at age 54.

For a woman whose actual crimes were horrific enough, fiction proved more memorable than fact.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Final Thoughts

–Max and Max